PROLOTHERAPY

Prolotherapy is a technique for treating laxity and chronic pain around the joints, tendons, bursae and ligaments of the neck, back or extremities. It involves the injection of a concentrated sugar (dextrose) and local anaesthetic mixture into the above-mentioned structures. The injected solution, in turn, causes a controlled local inflammation. Consequently, this inflammatory response stimulates an increase in the number of fibroblasts, which are cells that are responsible for synthesizing connective tissue. The stimulated fibroblasts lay down new collagen tissue, which in animal and human studies have been shown to shorten, thicken and strengthen the injected ligaments. This in total causes a decrease in painful signals arising from the many nerves in the lax ligaments and ultimately a decrease in pain. This procedure does not involve the injection of corticosteroids such as Cortisone. Prolotherapy originated in the late 1940's.

Dr. Swetlikoff is one of few Canadian physicians that practices Prolotherapy and has done so since 1996. A variety of musculoskeletal conditions are helped by Prolotherapy including but not limited to whiplash, rotator cuff shoulder injuries, tennis elbow, knee and hip problems, TMJ or jaw dysfunction, chronic low back pain and "sciatica".